Taiwan Mazesoba
Taiwan Mazesoba (Dry Noodles with Spicy Ground Pork) is a brothless ramen dish that originated at Nagoya's legendary ramen restaurant Hanabi, built on the bold flavors of spicy Taiwan minced pork. "Maze" means mix, and that is exactly what you do: thick ramen noodles tossed in a rich tare, topped with savory ground pork, raw nira (garlic chives), dashi powder, toasted sesame, and a silky onsen tamago. It is the ultimate summer noodle bowl, and it comes together faster than you think.
Why is it called Taiwan Mazesoba?
Now, despite the name, this dish actually originated in Nagoya. The ramen restaurant called Hanabi is the one who created it. When I first learned that, I was so confused! Why is Taiwan in the name if it originated in Nagoya? The story goes that there was already a dish called Taiwan Ramen, created by a chef who came from Taiwan, known for its spicy ground pork topping. Taiwan Mazesoba was born from that same idea, using that signature spicy pork (called Taiwan minced pork) as the base. Same bold flavors, just no broth.
What is Mazesoba / Mazemen?
Mazesoba is a brothless ramen. Maze(ru) means mix, and soba refers to noodles, in this case ramen noodles. A sweet and savory concentrated seasoning sauce called tare is used as the flavor base, and from there you can get really creative with toppings. In Japan, Mazesoba is the more popular term for this style of brothless noodle dish, but here in the US, Mazemen is more commonly used. I believe my friend Yuji is the one who made it popular in the US. He is the owner of Yuji Ramen in New York, and he created so many creative mix style noodle dishes that people loved. He kindly let me share his brie mazemen and spicy tuna mazemen recipes for my cookbook Make It Japanese, so check it out!
Toppings
And the other thing that makes Taiwan Mazesoba so recognizable? A generous pile of nira, or garlic chives, right on top. In my opinion, they are similar to ramps in flavor. You can easily find them at Asian grocery stores. I love using nira for dumplings, Korean pancake (buchimgae), and even curry. They are very garlicky, and for this dish I am using them raw, so I do not recommend eating this before meeting someone, let alone going on a date!
I also used dried fish powder from a dashi pack. It boosts umami in a really subtle but impactful way. If you cannot find dashi packs, you can crumble dried bonito flakes instead. Both can be found at a Japanese grocery store. If you cannot find either, you can skip it, but I highly recommend trying it if you can.
Noodles
I used Sun Noodle's Kaedama noodles, which are my favorite for this style of dish. That said, you can use any ramen noodles you like, even the instant kind works great here. If you want to go the extra mile, you can also cook spaghetti with baking soda to mimic ramen noodles (the specific amount and method are in my cookbook!). I also think udon noodles would be absolutely delicious with these toppings if that is what you have on hand.
Mazesoba is a brothless ramen, so you toss everything together and eat it more like a noodle bowl. It is the perfect noodle dish for summer. The classic version uses just an egg yolk on top, but I am using onsen tamago for that extra silky, custardy richness. If you want to know how to make onsen tamago at home, check out my gyudon post! This dish is easy, deeply savory, and layered with Asian condiments for maximum umami.
Taiwan Mazemen
Serves 2
Prep time 5 min
Cooking time: 20 min
Total 25 min
Tare
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons soy sauce (shōyu)
1 tablespoon sake
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon MSG
For Spicy Ground Pork
1 tablespoon neutral oil
½ pound ground pork
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon sake
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon tobanjan
2 portions ramen noodles (I used Sun Noodle's kaedama)
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Toppings
¼ cup Chopped scallions
¼ cup Chopped garlic chives (nira)
¼ cup Nori, as needed
2 onsen tamago
1 teaspoon dashi powder
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, ground
Preparation
In a small pot, add water, crushed garlic cloves, soy sauce, sake, mirin, fish sauce, salt, and MSG. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes to slightly reduce. Set aside.
Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and ground pork. Break up any clumps as you go. Cook until mostly done, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant.
Add mirin, sake, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and tobanjan. Mix well and cook through. Set aside.
While you are cooking the pork, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the ramen noodles according to package instructions. Drain and coat with sesame oil to prevent sticking.
In a shallow bowl, add 2 tablespoons of tare and 1 tablespoon sesame oil in each bowl. Add the noodles and lightly toss to coat. Top with dashi powder, ground toasted sesame seeds, scallions, nira, and sliced nori. Add seasoned ground pork and make a small well in the center for the egg.
Serve immediately and mix well before eating.